


Life before and after Resistance (Coffee)

by everythingremainsconnected



Series: The life-saving qualities of coffee [2]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, discussions and depictions of homelessness, finn and poe have some stuff to work through, lies and hiding the truth, mentions of drug addiction, trust me it all works out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:34:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22106389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everythingremainsconnected/pseuds/everythingremainsconnected
Summary: Just because Finn found himself a very (VERY) handsome boyfriend, doesn't mean all his problems go away, especially when he blames himself for everything that's gone wrong...
Relationships: Finn & Rey (Star Wars), Poe Dameron & Leia Organa, Poe Dameron/Finn
Series: The life-saving qualities of coffee [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1591234
Comments: 14
Kudos: 97





	1. Chapter 1

0.5

Life was a series of falling dominoes; some bigger than others, some smaller, some skittering off to mean nothing at all while others changed the entire course of his life. One of those bigger ones, a life changer, had been quitting college. Specifically, quitting the fraternity he’d been promised would be his family and his home, and subsequently losing his scholarship.

Finn didn’t need to be psychic to know it was going to go badly for him. For the first time in his life he’d been impulsive, acting on pure instinct, words falling from his mouth before he could stop to think. He didn’t regret them. He couldn’t. There was no way he’d be able to live with himself if he’d gone through with the pledge. It was cold comfort when he was faint with hunger and sleeping in bus shelters but at least the next time he saw Rey, he wouldn’t be ashamed to look her in the eye. 

Meeting his own reflection, well, that was a different story. Finn had no choice but to keep his hair shaved short, a style he’d never thought flattered his round cheeks… but he was getting cheekbones now, probably because he was struggling to eat what his body needed to maintain mass. Finn avoided mirrors. His own face was so strange to him, and he worried that Rey wouldn’t recognise him. He couldn’t bring himself to tell her what had happened, not yet. She’d probably abandon her internship and rush back to help and he couldn’t let her quit college just for him; his own trashed future was enough crushing weight on his chest. 

The community library was Finn’s second home. He was there at opening, avoiding eye contact with anyone who worked there, heading for his favourite soft chair in a window with a power socket nearby. Every day he’d plug in his phone, charge it up, and check the half dozen apps on his phone that promised physically taxing work for criminally low pay. He’d plan his day around whatever work he could get to without a car, or spending too much money on transit, and try to ignore his rumbling belly. 

The routine was disturbed by a video call from Rey. Finn picked up without hesitating, and grinned when he saw her beaming face. 

“Rey!” 

“Finn! Oh my gosh, it’s been forever!” Rey laughed, her eyes shining. “I’ve missed you. You never answer your phone anymore!” 

“Yeah, sorry, the battery’s on the fritz. How’s it going? Tell me everything.” 

“Finn, you would not _believe_ the stuff I’ve seen out here. It’s… I can’t even describe it. It’s a whole other world. I never knew deserts had so much life in them! We’re still on for our road trip at the end of semester, right? Before we start apartment hunting? That drive is going to be _so boring_ on my own.” 

Finn barely faltered. “I definitely am. I’m so excited to see you. It’s really been forever.” 

“Hey, you changed your hair.” 

“Uh, yeah. It was just easier, with… with classes and everything.” 

“You never were any good at multitasking,” Rey joked. “Is everything alright? You seem quiet.” 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Everything’s fine. I’m just at the library.” 

“Cramming? Typical,” Rey said with a smile. “How are your classes going? Have you made any friends?” 

Finn scrambled for an almost-truth. “Not really, no one’s as cool as you.” 

“I know, but I worry about you. It must be lonely.” 

“Aren’t you lonely? Out in the desert with a crazy professor?” 

“He’s not that crazy. And there’s the other interns, who are definitely that crazy, so it’s a good variety.” Rey laughed before growing serious. “Are you sure you’re ok? You don’t seem yourself.” 

“I’m the most myself I’ve been for a while,” Finn replied, his broad smile genuine. “Can’t wait to see you.” 

“Just a few weeks to go!” 

Finn’s eyes burned as the weight of surviving like this for weeks to come pressed in on his chest. “It’ll fly by,” he said quietly. “I gotta go, gotta get back to it.” 

“Have fun!” Rey waved. “I’ll try calling you again soon, ok? Love you.” 

“Love you,” Finn said, forcing himself to keep a straight face. He waved and ended the call with a second to spare before a sob escaped him. He let a second one out before cramming everything down and away, rubbing at his face and sniffing. 

After a moment of concentrating, willing his feelings to cease existing, Finn checked his bank balance on his phone and counted the few bills in his pocket. If he managed at least five jobs a day for the next week, he’d be able to afford a night in a super shitty hotel _and_ book his Greyhound ticket. 

The thought of a crummy hotel was enticing and depressing all at once. Finn was running out of couches to sleep on and hated going from someone’s home back to the street. He did his best to stop the bitterness from growing but it got harder every time he went back and forth between the extremes. 

Checking the weather, Finn sighed. A storm was forecast for the evening and he didn’t have enough for a hotel yet, not even if he did a dozen jobs before dark. The library was only open til eight and he hadn’t been able to find a good spot to wait out a whole night of bad weather. He took a ziplock bag from his backpack and wrapped his phone up, and made sure he had enough change to put his backpack in a bus station locker for the night. He’d probably spend the night in wet clothes but at least there’d be something dry to change into by morning. 

* 

Finn waited under the library’s generous eaves after closing, making a show of checking his watch and looking around, pretending to wait for someone in the rain. He reckoned he had at least half an hour of loitering before anyone got suspicious, especially if he kept his hood off his face and didn’t play on his phone. The battery was dead anyway but appearances were everything. 

Right as his self-imposed deadline came around, the rain worsened. Finn sighed. _Of course_. He hunched his shoulders and dashed out in the rain, heading for his next loitering spot: an out of the way bus shelter with a decent cover and bright lights. 

Once again Finn made a show of looking at his watch and looking at the timetable, careful to look mildly inconvenienced rather than desperately miserable. His sweatshirt was getting wetter by the minute and his shoes were already a lost cause. He was counting down how long he planned to wait when he heard a bang from a narrow side street. 

Finn froze. He waited, straining to hear something else over the downpour. It wasn’t long before there was another bang and shouting from the same side street. He recognised the jeers of young men being cruel and scowled. Finn ran into the rain toward the noise, his heart pounding. 

The scene he found was a sick repeat of his frat initiation: a couple of young, dumb guys, a defenseless victim, and malice hanging thick in the air. 

“Hey!” Finn shouted, announcing his presence. He drew himself up, squared his shoulders, made some quick calculations. “Leave it alone!” 

“Or what?” One of the guys shouted. 

Finn scooped up a trash bin lid and lobbed it toward the suspected ringleader, hitting him in the face. “Or else I’ll make you.” Finn waited in the stinging rain as the boys did the same math he had. Finn was big, even with his unintentional diet, and years of judo training and taught him how to hold himself steady before a fight. His apparent calm was intimidating and he hoped like hell it would be enough… and that no one had a gun. 

The ringleader spat at Finn’s feet and gestured for his cronies to follow him. One of them dumped a wriggling kitten into a sack and dropped it by a dumpster before leaving. Finn stared them down as they left, ready to snap if one of them so much as flinched at him. 

They didn’t. 

Finn waited a minute, half-expecting a sneak attack, before he ran to the sodden bag. He pulled open the ties and found the wet, pissed off kitten inside. 

“Oh shit,” Finn whispered, immediately removing the kitten from - he looked under the tail - his little prison and tucking him under his sweatshirt. “Let’s get somewhere dry, hey?” With one arm tucked around the trembling little ball, Finn edged to the end of the side street and checked for would-be torturers. The street seemed empty but the visibility was shit. 

Hoping for some sort of miracle, Finn ran through the storm. Somewhere had to be open, somewhere he could dry the kitten out and maybe wait for the rain to ease. Three blocks and more than a few thundercracks later, Finn thought a prayer might have been answered. 

A cafe up ahead still had its lights on. 

* 

1\. 

Tiny little pin pricks sent needles of fire down Finn’s exposed back. “Jesus,” he growled. 

“Not Jesus,” Poe corrected with a laugh. “Your little monster.” 

Finn slowly sat up, dislodging a playful Chewie. He looked at Poe in the doorway, shirtless and gorgeous with tousled hair and a delicious smirk, and glared. “Before sunrise, he’s your son.” 

“Buddy, it is well past nine.” 

“Shit!” Finn scrambled to sit up. Chewie thought all his fun dreams had come true and began pouncing along the rapidly shifting covers. Finn barely avoided the enthusiastic, if not totally useless, hunting attempts. 

“What is it? What’s wrong?” 

“Rey’s supposed to call me this morning, I can’t miss her again, I can’t,” Finn rambled, panic rendering him unusually graceless. He finally managed to sit up and fumbled for his phone on Poe’s crowded nightstand. 

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d be jealous.” 

“I told you, it’s not like that,” Finn snapped. He clutched the phone to his chest and sighed, his eyes closed. He hadn’t missed her but it was close. “Rey’s my best friend. I miss her.” 

Poe folded his arms across his bare chest and took a breath before trusting himself to reply. “She’s in the desert or something, right? When’s she coming back?” 

“Maybe never.” Finn tried to smile but it _hurt_. “I think her internship is going to turn into an actual paying job. That must be what she wants to talk about. Tell me she’s not coming back.” He looked up and found Poe staring, his dark eyes unreadable. Finn went to speak but his phone started buzzing. “I’m sorry, I have to-” 

“I’ll give you guys some space,” Poe interrupted. He forced a smile and went to leave. 

“You couldn’t take the cat?” 

“After sunrise-” 

“I hate you,” Finn laughed. Poe blew a quick kiss and closed the door behind him, and Finn answered the video call. “Rey!” 

“Finn! You are a difficult man to get a hold of. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were avoiding me.” 

“No, no way.” Finn settled back against the bedhead, oozing relief. Seeing her smiling face always made him feel better. “It’s been… it’s been kinda crazy.” 

“Finn, listen, I - wait - are you?” Rey laughed. “ _Are you naked?_ ” 

“What? No,” Finn blustered, badly, pulling the covers higher up his stomach, “I don’t sleep in a shirt, you know that.” 

Rey narrowed her eyes. “You are the worst liar on the planet, you know that, right? I cannot believe you’re naked on the phone to me right now,” she laughed and finally got a laugh out of Finn. 

“God I miss you.” 

“I miss you too. Look what I found yesterday!” Rey held up picture but couldn’t keep it still. “How cool is this!” 

“If I knew what the heck I was looking at, I’m sure I would be very impressed. Ow!” 

“Finn? What’s wrong?” 

“Ugh, it’s nothing. Damnit Chewie, no! Stop it!” 

“What’s happening? Do you need pants for this? Should I look away?” 

Finn laughed as he angled the phone for Rey to see the offending monster. “This is Chewie, a disturbingly accurately named kitten.” 

“Oh my god! When did you get a kitten? I thought you weren’t allowed pets in the dorms?” 

“Oh, right,” Finn settled Chewie beside him as he tried to think and avoid an outright lie, “he um… it’s a long story.” 

Rey smiled knowingly. “I can’t wait to hear all about it.” 

“I can’t wait to tell you.” Finn smiled. “You texted that you wanted to talk to me about something. Is everything ok with you? With… the desert, or whatever?” 

“Zoology is going _great_ ,” Rey grinned, “Guess what? Professor Skywalker has offered me the job. Officially! I could actually _earn money_ , can you believe it?” 

“That’s so amazing! Oh man, I am so proud of you right now, this is fantastic.” Finn put his hand on his racing heart, catching Rey’s contagious glee. “You’ve earned this, you so deserve it. You desert princess rockstar!” He laughed to see her laughing at him and for a wonderful few seconds, nothing at all had changed. 

“But Finn,” Rey looked down, her joy fading, and Finn hated watching the light go out, “we’re supposed to road trip back to the city and get a place together for the summer, but… this job… if I take it, I won’t be coming back til _next_ summer.” 

“Wait, if? What do you mean ‘if’? Rey, you can’t turn this down. I won’t let you. I can still come visit at the end of semester, we’ll make it work, but you can’t _not_ take this job.” 

Rey put her hand on her heart and looked like she was trying not to cry. “Finn, I promised you.” 

“You can’t pass this up to come back to... to what, a minimum wage job at an ice cream cart? Grinding a twelve hour day to live on noodles and pay too much rent on a shitbox apartment?” 

“But what about you? Your scholarship doesn’t cover the summer period and it’s so close to the end of school-” 

“Hey, don’t worry about me. I’ll figure something out, it’ll be fine. As long as I can still come visit you, it’ll be totally fine,” Finn lied. The countdown to summer was off and the disappointment rose faster than bile in his throat, but he couldn’t let her know how much it hurt. 

“But what about Chewie?” 

Finn looked at the kitten in question. “He’s um… he’s actually staying with someone I know.” 

“Oh, ‘someone you know’, is that what the kids are calling it these days?” Rey raised her eyebrows all the way up. “Now that you mention it, I don’t recognise that bedroom.” 

“It’s new,” Finn admitted, a smile blooming across his face, “I don’t want to jinx anything. Ow! Holy shit, Chewie, _no_.” Finn fought off a combatively playful Chewie with one hand while Rey laughed. 

The door creaked open and Poe stuck his head in. “Want me to take him?” 

“Please,” Finn begged, holding Chewie aloft while carefully keeping the phone angled away from Poe. Hiding his lover’s face meant keeping the camera solely on himself and Finn couldn’t do anything to mask his adoration for said lover. 

“You are such a fuzzy jerk, y’know that?” Poe scolded quietly as he left the room, holding Chewie carefully in both hands. 

“His hand seemed nice,” Rey offered. 

Heat rose to Finn’s cheeks. He was a bad liar and it was only going to get worse. “Rey, there’s something I need to tell you.” 

“You can tell me anything, you know that. What’s wrong?” Rey peered at him a moment before a huge crashing racket made her flinch. “Oh shit, that’s the professor.” 

“What’s going on? Rey?” 

“Sounds like a specimen being released in less than optimal conditions.” 

“Huh?” 

There was another crash and Rey looked behind her. “Finn, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you tomorrow? Love you!” She ended the call with a quick wave. 

Finn sighed and stared at his phone. “Talk to you tomorrow, I guess.” 

Fading adrenaline meant Finn actually had a chance to slow his heart rate back down. The truth would have to wait another day and he hoped it wouldn’t burn him up. As he recovered from the close call, Finn cringed at how he’d spoken to Poe in his panic and he climbed out of bed to search the rumpled bedding for something to wear. Most of his clothes were neatly folded in his backpack, but the jeans and shirt he’d had on for barely an hour yesterday were somewhere in the tangled sheets. He wanted to be strategically dressed for apologising. It hadn’t taken Finn all that long to figure out that Poe seemed to admire him in any state between ‘fully clothed’ and ‘naked’. Jeans were essential to Finn’s partially dressed plan. 

“Poe?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Have you seen - never mind.” Finn pulled his jeans from the mess and pulled them on, choosing to leave them wholly undone and generous shot of his boxers visible. Heading into the living room, he pulled his shirt on after allowing enough time for Poe to get a decent look. “Sorry I was… short tempered with you before. I was worried.” 

“It’s fine, I get it.” 

Finn sat beside Poe and frowned; his lazily dressed performance hadn’t worked. Poe wouldn’t quite look at him and he just couldn’t handle any more hurt. He tried explaining himself, but putting his history with Rey into words was difficult at the best of times. “She’s my oldest friend and I’ve barely been able to speak to her this semester.” 

“Why are you talking in semesters? You’re not at college. Are you?” 

“No, I’m not. I _was_ \- til I lost my scholarship, remember? Rey still is, obviously. I would have told you if I was in college, and not just coz I would have missed a lot of classes in the last two weeks.” 

Poe snorted. “That’s lucky.” 

“Talking to Rey made me realise…” Finn cleared his throat. “Made me think, I should start making plans. Y’know? Summer’s off.” He blinked rapidly, definitely not crying. “Summer’s off so I’ve gotta do something. So maybe today, you could… you could take me to meet Leia.” Finn watched Poe closely as he spoke, braving what he worried would be an icy silence. Maybe he should have left his shirt off for the whole conversation. “I know we’ve been talking about it, a bit, between other things, and you’ve got today off work, right?” 

“Uh, yeah. Sure.” 

“I just thought, maybe, if I could get something settled before the summer, then… then Rey wouldn’t have time to worry too much. Y’know?” Finn saw the way Poe’s jaw clenched and his own stomach dropped through the floor. “Is that ok?” 

“Of course it is,” Poe said unconvincingly. “I promised you I’d get you to her, and I will. I don’t break my promises.” 

“I know,” Finn said, and he _did_ know, but something was off and he hated it. He didn’t want to have this conversation, ever, but he didn’t have the luxury of choice. It rankled. _Please don’t be mad at me_. “Let me fix you breakfast.” 

“Actually, I’m not hungry.” Poe looked quickly at his phone. “If we leave by ten we can catch Leia at the office.” He got up without waiting for a reply and went into the bathroom. 

Finn stared at the closed door. He crumpled and a couple of frustrated tears leaked from his eyes. Salt filled his mouth and he sniffed hurriedly. He did not have time for a mental breakdown, not now. 

Balance was key. 

Balance was everything. 

He had to protect Rey from the truth or it would break her heart, and that, in turn, would break him. 

He couldn’t let Poe know what he’d hidden from Rey and risk changing what Poe thought of him. It was ridiculous that a man he’d known for barely two weeks mattered so damn much, but Finn already knew that if he lost Poe’s respect, that would break him, too. 

Finn checked the date in his phone. He had ten days to make some sort of plan before he was supposed to visit Rey. If he wasn’t devastated over their summer plans changing, he might have had room to be annoyed by the short notice nature of it all. 

“Who am I kidding?” Finn said quietly. Chewie mewed in reply. “I didn’t have a plan after that first week of summer, anyway.” Chewie mewed some more and pounced at Finn’s bare foot. “Ow! Ugh, it’s a good thing you’re cute.” 

“Funny,” Poe said, opening the bathroom door, “I was about to say the same thing to you.” 

Finn met his lover’s gaze and tried to telepathically convey his very strong affection and an apology and maybe a little of his confusion, too. “Poe-” 

“It’s fine,” Poe cut him off. “My jealousy over your best friend is _my_ problem. I’ll have to get used to sharing you someday, I guess.” 

Finn’s mood plummeted once again. “Speaking of sharing, I had plans to visit Rey after semester ended.” 

“Had?” 

“Yeah. I was gonna meet her there, then we’d road trip back together and start looking for a place for the summer. But I was right - she got that dream job,” Finn wasn’t bitter, he _wasn’t_ , “so, no road trip. No apartment.” He shrugged. “I still want to visit her, I promised her I would.” 

“Wait, she got her dream job and just… just left you high and dry?” 

“It’s not like that.” 

Poe was dumbfounded. “What kind of friend just abandons someone like that? I’m happy to have you here, obviously,” he winked, “but she made a promise to you. Doesn’t that mean anything to her?” 

“Hey, I can’t let her lose out on that opportunity just because we had plans. She’s been working for this for years. I won’t get in the way of that.” 

“But what about you?” Poe asked softly. “What about your plans?” 

Finn looked down, searching for some self-control. “I can be more flexible than she can right now. I know she’d want the same for me, if I was in her shoes and she was in mine. I can’t let her ruin her life because of me.” 

“Let me see if I’ve got this right. She breaks a promise to you and bails on your apartment plans, leaving you seriously in trouble, but you still want to keep your promise to her to go visit?” 

“Yeah, ok, when you put it like that it sounds bad. But Poe, we’re friends. Sometimes, stuff happens, but you still love each other at the end of it.” 

Poe pinched the bridge of his nose. “I am too old for this shit.” 

“What shit?” 

“Nothing, it doesn’t matter.” 

Finn didn’t bother trying to hide his hurt. “What doesn’t matter?” 

“My problem with Rey,” Poe snapped. “My problem with her doesn’t matter, because you love her. Ok? I’ve gotta get dressed.” 

The world wobbled around him and Finn clenched his hands tight.


	2. Chapter 2

Without knowing what to expect, Leia was still somehow not what Finn expected. She was older than he’d thought, and dressed like a fancy crow, and the look of bemused affection she directed at Poe was a total surprise. Leia got up from the couch by her desk (her office was bigger than whole apartments) and approached them, squinting. 

“Poe Dameron, is it really you?” 

“Leia, I’m sorry it’s been so long,” Poe approached, arms outstretched. He hugged her easily. “I’ve been-” 

“ _Busy_. Yes, I know.” Leia turned her very knowing gaze on Finn. He shifted uncomfortably. “You must be Finn. I’ve heard so much about you.” 

“Ma’am, it’s an honour-” 

“Call me Leia,” she said quickly. “Come, sit. Coffee?” 

“Sure. Thanks,” Finn said. He followed Leia to her couch. 

“He doesn’t even like coffee.” Poe gave Finn a loving if not exasperated look before turning to Leia. “Have you reorganised this place in the last few weeks?” 

“Of course not.” 

“Great. I’ll get drinks.” Poe moved around the office with familiarity that Finn envied. 

“Poe managed to tell me exactly three things about you,” Leia began. “You’re gorgeous, you saved a kitten, and you’re in between permanent addresses and employment right now.” 

“In that exact order?” Finn asked. He stole a glance at Poe and thought he recognised the pink hue of his ears. 

“I can show you the texts if you’d like.” 

“That won’t be necessary,” Poe interrupted. 

Leia evidently took great comfort in making Poe uncomfortable, and Finn decided that he liked her for it. She continued, “What Poe neglected to tell me was any skills you might have, beyond modeling and small animal rescue.” 

“Oh, right.” Finn ducked his head as heat rose to his cheeks. “I’ve been doing odd jobs here and there for a while now. Basic maintenance, removalist, bike messenger, back when I had a bike.” He shrugged. 

“How are you with people?” 

“People?” 

Leia nodded. “I need an assistant for the summer.” 

“Summer?” Finn looked at Poe. “Like, all of summer?” 

“There’s no rest for the wicked. I need someone who can come with me to meetings, take notes, answer phones, soothe egos, that sort of thing. Does that sound like something you’d be interested in?” 

“I’ve done worse,” Finn said immediately, and with immediate regret. “Sorry ma’am. Leia. Why me?” 

Poe sat on the coffee table and put a tray of drinks beside him. “Better you than me,” he said darkly. 

“That was a learning experience. For all of us,” Leia said meaningfully. “Poe is not suited to such a… human-heavy, collaborative environment.” 

“Amen.” Poe grinned. 

“With all due respect,” Finn began, “why do you think I’d be any better? You don’t know me. I don’t even have a creatively constructed resume to give you.” 

Leia smiled gently at him. “A person’s actions speak volumes, Finn. And Poe speaks very highly of you.” Her mischievous look faded to one of resignation. “And the person I originally had in mind for this had other plans. I’m not saying you’re my only hope, but I don’t believe in coincidence.” 

“Thank you, Leia, but I don’t know the first thing about being any kind of assistant. I wouldn’t have the faintest clue about where to start.” 

“Doing the opposite of what Poe would do is a very excellent start.” Leia smiled as Poe nodded, resigned to his cranky fate. “I have a good feeling about you, Finn. We’ll start in May. Give it a month and see how you feel about it.” 

“What if… what if it doesn’t work?” Finn’s heart pounded loud in his ears. He was definitely about to ruin the golden opportunity. “I had plans to visit a friend that first week. Just for a couple of days.” 

“Well, you can start a few days in, if it’s necessary,” Leia’s tone indicated it had better be _exceedingly_ necessary, and Finn swallowed hard, “but I’m sure your friend would understand that this kind of opportunity won’t wait. And if it turns out you’re not the assistant I’ve been looking for, then I’ll find you something else. There’s a place for everyone in this world and I won’t rest til I find yours. Speaking of places, Poe?” Leia gestured toward her laptop. He obediently fetched it for her. “There’s a few options for you. I’m afraid none of them are particularly glamorous but they’re clean. I’ll email you the listings.” 

Finn numbly recited his email address as Leia tapped away. He was supposed to choose between his promise, or a possible chance at clawing his way out of the mess he’d put himself in... “Do any of them accept pets?” He caught the look on Poe’s face and it was a hit to the gut. He imagined he could hear Chewie’s protesting meow. 

“Let me know your top choices and I’ll handle it,” Leia replied, carefully not looking at either of them. 

Looking down at his hands, Finn tried to catch his racing thoughts. _How much of this is real?_ “You’re just gonna give me a job, and somewhere to live, just like that?” _I can’t, I can’t..._

“What I’m giving you is a chance,” Leia corrected. “It’s up to you to make the most of it.” 

“I’ll try not to let you down.” 

“I’m sure we’ll get along just fine.” Leia smiled. “That’s more than Poe ever promised.” 

“Hey, I had a few things going on, if you will recall,” Poe protested as Finn dared a smile. 

“Being pissy that a bunch of teenagers wouldn’t listen to you doesn’t entirely count.” 

Finn laughed at the obviously familiar barb even as Poe feigned injury. He couldn’t help but be envious of their easy affection. He hadn’t been part of something like that since Rey went off on her internship and it left a hollow inside of him. 

* 

Clicking through real estate listings was bizarre, to put it mildly. A couple weeks ago Finn was scrolling through the most depressing hotels he could afford, the images practically screaming _bed bugs_ and _E. coli_ , and now he was on a comfortable couch, on a borrowed laptop with a cup of tea in his hand and a gorgeous man beside him, looking at places he could actually _live_ in. 

Finn had been looking at the links from Leia for days and trying not to drown in the strange undercurrents that permeated Poe’s home. Ever since they’d gone to see her, Poe was… off. Finn hadn’t worn a shirt for more than half an hour at a time in an effort to get Poe smiling as much as possible. Wearing clothes while they looked at apartments for him was probably a mistake. 

“What about this one?” Finn asked, keeping his voice light. “The bathroom looks nice, and it’s near Leia’s office. I could walk to work.” 

“Yeah. Looks good.” 

Finn set his tea down and rubbed at his eyes. It was the hundredth apathetic response since he’d started looking, and his heart was about to break. “Poe, what is going on?” 

“What are you talking about?” 

“Please don’t be mad at me,” Finn begged. “We always said I was just staying here until I got some stuff sorted out, and now that I’m actually trying - with your help! - you’re…” he looked at Poe and knew his every wounded emotion was clear on his face. “You’re mad at me. Why?” 

“I am _not_ mad at you.” 

“Please, don’t. Do you even hear yourself?” 

Poe ran his hands through his hair and looked at the ground. “I’m not mad at you,” he tried again, his voice softer. “I’m not. I’m worried.” 

“What? Why?” 

“Because I saw you, with Leia. I saw you hesitate.” Poe’s disappointment was palpable. He sighed. “She wants you to start May fourth, right?” 

“Yeah. So?” 

“So.” Poe’s serious gazed was fixed on the ground. “When do you plan on coming back from the desert?” 

The air rushed from Finn’s lungs and refused to be drawn back in. He’d known this was coming but had held out hope that maybe it would wait a little longer. “Leia said it was fine to start a few days in.” 

“You don’t know her like I do,” Poe warned, “when she says something, that’s what goes. Do you really think it’s the smartest idea to push your luck with something like this?” 

“I’m sure if I just explained it to her, she’d understand. Rey is… she’s my family. She’s all I have.” 

Poe’s mouth twisted in a poor imitation of a smile. “Gotcha.” 

“Wait, that’s not what I meant-” 

“If she’s all you have, then where is she? Huh? Where the _hell_ has she been for you?” Poe got to his feet, a wild energy crackling around him. “Where was this ‘perfect Rey’ when your school pulled your scholarship and kicked you out?” Finn flinched and Poe didn’t miss it. “Where has she been _every moment_ since then, huh? Where the hell is she, Finn, coz I sure as hell do not see her being here for you!” 

“She’s doing what I wish I could do!” Finn shouted. He shoved the laptop aside to stand toe to toe with his lover. “She’s living a normal life! What kind of friend would I be if I interfered with that?” 

“I just can’t believe that someone who is supposed to care about you could just - could just _sit there_ a million miles away while you’re fucking homeless! Who does that?” 

Finn gaped. His heartbeat pounded so loud and his head was screaming and his mouth was so, so dry. “You don’t understand. Ok? You just don’t understand.” 

“You’re right, I don’t. I do not understand what goes through someone’s head when they see a friend in some kinda trouble like you’re in and then just do nothing. I am here, right here,” Poe took Finn’s hand and held it over his own racing heart, “I will always _be here_ for you.” 

“I know, I know,” Finn breathed, resting his forehead against Poe’s. “That’s what I… what I appreciate about you, so much.” 

Poe managed to huff a small laugh. “Buddy, you have to see how unfair it is that you would do anything for her, and she can’t manage to do a single thing for you. I mean, come on. She barely makes time to call you.” 

“God, Poe, could you stop?” Finn pulled away. The bitterness twisted inside him and his guts roiled. 

“Stop caring about you?” Poe was stunned. 

“Stop talking shit when you have _no idea_ what’s going on!” 

“I would know if you told me!” Poe shouted. 

Finn stared, his breathing ragged, his eyes burning as the world came crashing down. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“You think I can’t tell when you’re holding something back?” Poe challenged. “Your beautiful face is not made for subtlety and I haven’t wanted to push you because I am _terrified_ of pushing you away but… I know there’s stuff going on that you’re not telling me. And that’s fine! It’s been three whole weeks, I don’t expect to know every single thing about you.” Poe paused for breath before stepping closer to Finn. “I could happily spend years figuring you out. But I don’t know if this will wait.” 

“What?” 

“You’re about to start a new job and get your own place,” Poe stumbled on that but continued, “and there’s this, I dunno, this shadow over you. You know you can talk to me about anything-” 

“Except if it’s Rey-” 

“I don’t care if it’s about her, goddamnit, just - just _talk to me!_ What are you afraid of?” 

Finn staggered back as his heart tried to claw its way out of his chest. He watched the frustration and disappointment pull at Poe’s handsome face and wanted to disappear into the earth. The words stuck in his throat. “I can’t stay here.” 

“What?” Poe whispered. 

“I can’t stay here,” Finn repeated, “because you’ll never understand, and it’s my fault. I’m sorry.” Finn’s voice broke. He pushed past Poe to get his backpack from the bedroom, all his things neatly folded inside. “Can you… can you keep Chewie? He’s better off with you.” 

“ _You’re_ better off with me,” Poe tried. The crack in his voice pushed the cracks in Finn’s heart to breaking point. “You can’t go, Finn, you haven’t… you haven’t applied for a place yet, Leia’s expecting you in a couple days-” 

“I was fine before I met you,” Finn lied, badly, “and I’ll be fine after I leave.” 

Poe reached for Finn, hardly daring to breathe. “Please, don’t go.” 

“Rey is my family, and you’re never going to understand what we have.” 

“I could if you just explained it to me!” 

“It’s not that easy! If you knew, you’d hate me. I already hate me and I couldn’t… I couldn’t stand it if you hated me, too. I’m sorry.” Finn stole one last glance at Poe and wished he’d never laid eyes on the wounded man before him. “I’m sorry,” he whispered and a sob finally escaped. 

Finn left, closing the door behind him. He stood frozen, swallowing salt tears, raging at the goddamn mess of his life that he’d just set on fire. He’d lost Poe the moment he’d refused to tell the truth about Rey. It was easier to let Poe hate her than admit her absence was Finn’s own fault; he was terrified of ruining Rey’s life like he’d ruined his own, and he just kept making everything worse. Finn leaned against the door for another moment and heard a broken cry from inside. 

He ran.


	3. Chapter 3

“What do you mean, he’s gone? When did this happen?” Leia asked quietly. 

Poe shrugged, his gaze fixed on the floor. He hadn’t looked up once since he’d stumbled into Leia’s apartment. “An hour ago. He said if I knew the truth, I’d hate him. And now he’s gone.” 

“Did he say where he was going?” 

“He didn’t say _anything_.” 

“Hmm.” Leia leaned back, watching Poe closely. “You said his friend is doing some sort of desert college experience?” 

“Something with animals, or something,” Poe said. He was tired, so tired, and his eyes burned. More than that, his entire body hurt, he ached for missing Finn and letting the man slip through his fingers. Underneath it all was the pull of his past, the old habit desperate to return, offering sweet release from any and all guilt and misery for a limited time only - before ruining his life. 

“Poe?” 

“I’m not gonna relapse,” he said quickly, “not over some… some boy.” 

Leia patted his knee. “Tell me about Finn’s best friend.” 

“The one who didn’t do a damn thing to help him when he needed her?” 

“That one. Do you have any idea why she wasn’t around, other than the fact that she was apparently in the desert?” 

Poe scoffed, “Finn didn’t want her to quit college and for it to be his fault. But there’s gotta be something she could have done for him without having to be in the same city.” 

“What makes you so sure?” 

“Leia, c’mon-” 

“You’d burn your life to the ground for that man. Don’t try to tell me otherwise, it’s written all over your face. My question to you is, what makes you think he would let you self-destruct just for his benefit?” 

“I wouldn’t be waiting for his permission,” Poe sputtered. 

“Finn’s feelings matter. His wishes matter,” Leia reminded Poe. “Either she’s respecting his wishes, or…” 

“Or what?” 

“Maybe she doesn’t know.” 

“What?” 

Leia paused and considered her words carefully. “You would tear your life apart if it would help Finn, and you’ve only known him for a few weeks. What if she is just as fiercely devoted to him, albeit in a slightly different context? That’s a lot of responsibility for one young man to carry on his shoulders.” 

“That’s ridiculous.” 

“It would explain why she doesn’t seem worried. Why she hasn’t helped him. Why he hasn’t introduced you on the phone - _and_ why he keeps defending her.” Leia fixed Poe with a steely glare. “I’m a good judge of character and I suspect Finn is too. You, well, I’m a little worried about you.” She smiled. 

Poe slowly shifted his gaze to Leia, his brain crunching with the effort of recalculating. “If she doesn’t know about any of it, why keep that from me? And why… why leave?” 

“Well,” Leia began, only to be interrupted by her phone receiving a new message. She opened it and smiled. “Do you have a cat carrier?” 

“Do I - what?” 

“A cat carrier, also known as a convenient cage in which to transport a domestic feline. Do you have one?” 

“Yeah,” Poe frowned, “we had to get one for Chewie’s vet visits. He can’t be trusted loose in the car.” He swallowed the bitterness of the past tense. 

“I suggest you put Chewie into the carrier and meet me here in half an hour.” 

“Why? And how did you know Chewie’s still with me?” 

Leia patted Poe’s knee again. “I told you, I’m a good judge of character. Now go get your cat.”

* 

There wasn’t much that could improve an eight hour bus trip. Running express from the city’s limits to the college outpost was about the only good thing the rattling Greyhound had going for it. Finn’s phone had died an hour in, it’s already questionable battery drained faster than usual by the half dozen calls and hundred texts from Poe. When the little battery icon flashed red, Finn was glad. It saved him from making another poor choice, like answering the phone only to cry, or shout, or say a few more regretful things that would keep him awake for months to come. It didn’t save him from his own aching cowardice. 

Finn had managed to send Rey a single text to let her know he was arriving earlier than expected. She hadn’t replied before the battery gave up and Finn hoped he’d be able to find a power socket when he got there. Somewhere to sleep would be nice too. Anxiety unfurled its awful wings and circled, a vulture ready to prey on the tatters of Finn’s life. 

He closed his eyes and memories swamped him; the warmth of Poe’s bed and Poe’s arms around him; the tender scrape of Poe’s lips and stubbled chin across every inch of Finn that he could reach; the gentle creak of springs, his hands fisted in Poe’s soft curls. More than anything, Finn missed _looking_ at Poe, missed knowing that no matter where he was - in the apartment, the cafe, anywhere - he missed knowing that Poe was looking at him, too. 

Sleep had come for Finn somewhere after the three hour mark, and he jolted awake when the rumbling bus engine cut out. He grabbed his bag and left the bus, rubbing sleep from his eyes and trying to match up the bus station landmarks with the pictures he’d seen online. There was supposed to be a diner opposite the bus station and he scanned the street signs, walking around the edge of a van to better see the other side of the street. He spotted the diner at last and hurried across the street, more interested in a potential power socket than dodging any non-existent traffic. 

“Finn!” 

The voice stopped Finn in his tracks. HIs heart lurched and if he’d eaten anything in the last 8 hours, it would have forcibly come up due to shock. He didn’t dare move. It can’t have been real. 

He heard footsteps running toward him. 

_It can’t be real._

Finn’s traitorous body turned. His knees almost gave out. 

“Finn!” Poe shouted. He crashed into Finn, wrapped a hand around the back of his neck to hold him close and buried his face in Finn’s shoulder. 

Acting on newfound instinct, Finn’s arms encircled Poe and he pressed his face into Poe’s curls. He closed his eyes. Every hurtful, shitty thing he’d said, every lie he’d told and everything he’d kept hidden, melted away for precious moments as his world became _Poe_. The strength of Poe’s crushing embrace, the scent of his cologne and the hair gel he carefully applied every morning filling Finn’s nostrils, the warmth of his body fitting into his own; nothing else mattered. 

“How?” Finn whispered. He heard someone approaching and opened his eyes, warily on the lookout for some backwater ignorance. Instead, he saw Leia. 

“I’m a good judge of character,” she announced with a smile. 

“That answers exactly none of my questions.” 

“Did you tell her what was going on with you?” Poe asked. He pulled away just enough to look Finn in the eye. 

“Leia?” 

Poe frowned. “ _Rey_. Did you tell her what happened?” 

“What are you talking about?” 

“Finn, you don’t have to keep doing this,” Poe said gently. “Does Rey know about anything that happened to you in the last few months?” 

Some of the fight went out of Finn. “Not… not everything.” 

“Does she know _anything?_ ” 

“She knows - knew - about you,” Finn said. “Kind of.” 

“Why not just tell me that? Why did you let me think she was a supremely shitty person?” 

Finn pressed his forehead against Poe’s and sighed. “I was lying to my best friend. I didn’t want you to think I was a shitty person, so it was easier to let you think it was all Rey. But then you didn’t like her. Like, you _really_ didn’t like her.” 

“Can you blame me? All I saw was someone abandoning the best man I’ve ever known.” 

“But she didn’t. I wrecked my own life, with my own choices, and I know she would have done the same if she thought it would help me.” 

“So would I,” Poe said instantly. 

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Finn whispered. “It’s too much.” Poe stepped back and gasped, his arms falling to his sides, and Finn immediately scooped him up again. “No, not like that, Poe, it isn’t… _You’re_ not too much, you’re not, it’s just… knowing that you’d do anything for me, even if it hurt you? It’s terrifying.” 

“That’s love,” Poe said simply. “People will do crazy things-” 

“Like drive 6 hours non-stop to beat a bloated coach,” Leia supplied. 

“Like drive 6 hours to beat a bus,” Poe flashed a mock cranky look at Leia, “because someone doesn’t answer their phone.” 

“The battery died.” 

“You’re getting a company phone next week,” Leia said. 

Finn stared. “You still want me to work for you?” 

“Given that you’re here,” Leia looked around the tiny dusty town, “earlier than you planned, I’m hoping you can come home for May fourth?” 

“I don’t even know if Rey knows I’m here yet,” Finn admitted. 

“They should be here in a few minutes,” Leia said. “I hear the coffee here is terrible. Shall we make sure?” 

“They? Who is they?” Finn looked around. 

Leia laughed to herself. “I think I forgot to mention, my brother is a professor with a fixation on immersive desert internships.” 

Finn gaped. “You’re kidding.” 

“I told you, I don’t believe in coincidence. You boys wait here, I’ve got to make sure we can get a table in this highly competitive diner industry.” Leia made her way into the diner, leaving Finn and Poe on the sidewalk. 

“Finn, listen.” Poe reached up to cup Finn’s cheek in his hand. “You got to choose how you handled what’s happened to you. Don’t rob me, or Rey, of the chance to make our own choices about how we care about you.” 

“I chose how this all started. It’s my fault. If it was an accident, or fate, then maybe it wouldn’t be so bad but this is very literally all my own fault.” 

“What?” 

“I quit the fraternity that was paying my way. They didn’t mysteriously withdraw my scholarship - I quit. The hazing was bad, but the pledge… they wanted us to hurt the guys that didn’t make the cut. To prove ourselves. I couldn’t do it, so I quit.” 

“Finn, buddy,” Poe’s eyes shone, “you made the right choice.” 

“I let one moment of moral high ground ruin my life,” Finn argued. 

“You never would have hurt someone like that, no matter what the incentive.” 

Finn shook his head. “I almost did. I almost did it.” 

“But you _didn’t_. That’s what counts.” Poe pressed a kiss to Finn’s gorgeous lips. “You’re a good man, Finn. The best.” 

“I spent the last couple months lying to my best friend, then I started lying to this _really_ cute guy, too.” Finn sighed. 

“I’ll admit, that was less than ideal, but it makes a kind of sense. Maybe summer can be a fresh start for you. For us.” 

Finn searched Poe’s face. “You want there to be an us?” 

“More than anything. I still want all those strings, every single one, if you want ‘em too.” 

“More than anything,” Finn echoed Poe and grinned. “I’m sorry. For everything.” 

“You don’t be sorry. Just learn from it.” 

“I’ll try,” Finn whispered. “I promise.” 

Poe grinned before burying his face in Finn’s shoulder. He took a deep breath in. “Are you ready?” 

“For what?” 

“You know Leia invited Rey here, right?” 

“I did put that together, yeah.” 

“So,” Poe said slowly, pulling back just enough to look into Finn’s eyes, “are you ready to talk to her?” 

Finn stammered, “I don’t know. What if… what if she can’t forgive me?” 

Poe looked over Finn’s shoulder and saw a pale young woman approaching. Her eyes were hard and she moved with a predatory strength that Poe was instantly afraid of. He stepped out of Finn’s embrace. “Does Rey look like she’d murder a man with her bare hands?” 

“Yeah, why?” 

“She’ll probably forgive you but she might kill you first.” 

Finn frowned at Poe for a second before turning to follow his gaze. “Rey!” He ran toward her and she cracked a brief smile before throwing herself at him. 

Poe cautiously approached them, his heart swelling dangerously when he saw how happy Finn was. Rey was laughing and Finn was smiling and Poe felt like a busted third wheel. He was about to utter a quiet excuse and leave when Rey finally caught sight of him. 

“Is this the guy with the nice hand?” She asked. 

Poe’s ears went bright red and he wondered exactly how much Finn had told her about him. “Excuse me?” 

“Finn hasn’t even shown me a picture of you, so the only thing I have to go off of is the time you took the cat out of the room when Finn and I were on the phone. I saw your hand,” Rey laughed, “and Finn’s entire goofball face when he looked at you. It was kinda like this.” She made a show of framing Finn’s face with her hands and laughing some more. “You are in _trouble_.” 

Finn flinched. “What? Why?” 

“What’s going on?” Rey looked at him closely. “Your hair is different.” 

“I told you, I cut it.” 

“No, I mean...” Rey put her hands on his shoulders and looked him up and down. “How much weight have you lost? Finn, are you sick?” 

“I’m not sick,” Finn said, pulling Rey’s hands from his shoulders to hold them. “Rey, this is Poe. My boyfriend. He’s great, and I think you’d really like him, if I gave you guys a chance.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rey asked. 

Poe pounced on the brief pause. “I’m gonna give you two a minute. I’ve only just met you, and please take this as the compliment slash plea that it is, but I would really like it if you didn’t kill him. He did what he thought was right, even though he was really wrong. I’ll just be inside.” Poe ran inside the diner before Rey could get a word in. 

“Finn, what is he talking about?” 

With a sigh, Finn squared his shoulders. He hoped like hell he wasn’t about to lose Rey, but at least he’d managed to salvage something with Poe. “I lied to you. About some pretty big stuff.” 

“Like what? Is Poe your husband and you’re trying to tell me I wasn’t invited to the wedding?” 

“I would absolutely have you at my wedding,” Finn said immediately. He caught the evil glint in Rey’s eye and laughed a little. “I know, I know, I’m not subtle. But Rey, this is serious. I haven’t been at college for months.” 

“What? Yes you have, you told me about classes, you were cramming for exams - wait.” Rey stepped back as she put the pieces together. “You were always so vague, I just thought you were busy, or stressed… you let me think all of that.” 

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t go through with the frat pledge. Rey, they wanted me to… these young guys, the ones who didn’t make the cut, the seniors rounded them up and wanted me and the other pledges to… to hurt them. I almost - but I couldn’t do it. I had to quit.” 

Rey’s eyes widened. “But they were paying your scholarship - your dorm-” 

“Lost it. Lost all of it.” Finn smiled tightly. 

“How _dare_ they - where are they, I’ll-” 

“Rey, it’s done,” Finn interrupted. “It’s so done. Leia said she’d help me file a report, or something, but it’s done.” 

The look on Rey’s face said otherwise, but she pushed it aside. “So you’ve been living with Poe all this time? Why not tell me?” 

“I only met Poe about three weeks ago. Before that, I was…” Finn looked down and tried to find some courage, just a bit, to force the next words out. “I was sleeping rough.” 

“Oh Finn,” Rey said softly, “why didn’t you tell me? I would have come back straight away, we could have got an apartment for the semester instead of waiting for summer.” 

“That’s exactly why I didn’t say anything.” 

“Huh?” 

“This program is everything you’ve ever wanted. I didn’t want you to wreck your life just because I wrecked mine. I couldn’t have that on my conscience, Rey, I just… I couldn’t live with myself if I ruined your life, too.” 

Rey pulled Finn into a crushing hug. “You big doofus,” she whispered, “you’re so much more important than school! You’re the most important thing in my entire _life!_ ” She pulled away and punched his shoulder. “God, Finn! How do you think it would have felt for me if something had happened to you out there?” 

“I’m sorry. I was just trying to…” 

“To what?” Rey challenged. Her eyes were a lot kinder than her body language might have implied. 

“To salvage a little pride when I really didn’t have anything else.” 

“You’ve always got me, dumbass.” Rey gently nudged his shoulder. “Looks like you’ve got me for the summer. I’ll hand in my notice with Skywalker and we can get started on the apartment hunt.” 

“Rey, no, you can’t quit this.” 

“I do what I want.” 

“Yeah, I know, it’s one of the many things I love about you,” Finn said with a smile, “but what I want is important, too. I want you to kick ass at this program, or whatever is the appropriate combatively supportive catchphrase for zoology, because I know how happy this whole thing makes you.” 

Rey looked at the diner and saw Poe staring. She raised an eyebrow. “Does it have anything to do with the whole ‘needing an apartment’ thing being not very urgent right now?” 

“Uh, maybe. Possibly. It’s possible.” Finn cleared his throat and fidgeted. “I can’t move in with him already, we haven’t even had our one month anniversary yet. Moving in together would be insane. Wouldn’t it?” 

“Trust your gut, Finn.” Rey squinted at the diner window. “Why is there a cat in there?” 

Finn glanced at the window and saw a cat carrier on the table. “They brought Chewie?” 

“I can’t wait to meet him!” Rey laughed. “And get to know Poe. You’re sure you don’t want to live with me this summer?” 

“I’d love to live with you, but you’ve got an awesome job to start soon. And I think I might, too. Well, _a_ job, I’m not sure about any awesome just yet.” Finn smiled. “Leia needs a personal assistant. If I can be back in the city for the fourth, anyway.” 

“Of course you’ll be back by then. Why wouldn’t you?” 

“I promised you I’d come visit.” 

Rey groaned in mock irritation. “And visit me you have. We’ve got what, five days before your job starts? We’ll make the most of it. I’ll even pretend to be gracious about sharing you with your Brooding Babe in there.” 

“He is kinda broody, huh,” Finn said. “God, Rey, he has the most _beautiful_ eyes-” 

“I’m sure he does. If you can spend some one-on-one time with me, I will listen to every ridiculous lovestruck word that falls from your mouth with a mostly straight face.” 

“You sure about that? Coz I have got a _lot_ to say about how gorgeous he is and I haven’t had anyone else to talk about it with. At all. I don’t think you really understand the gravity of the situation.” 

Rey laughed. “I’m so ready. We’ll make a drinking game out of it, every time you say something sickeningly sweet, I get a shot.” 

“You gonna die.” 

“Worth it,” Rey insisted. She looked at him for a long moment and her smile faded. 

Finn could read his friend like a book. He took her hand. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth.” 

“I am, too. I’ll love you no matter what, you know that, right?” 

“Yeah. I do.” 

“Good.” Rey squeezed his hand. “I forgive you. But I reserve the right to be nosy as hell for the foreseeable future.” 

“Fair.” 

Rey pulled him in for a quick hug. “You ready for the worst coffee of your life?” 

“Oh, yeah, about as ready as I am for two people I love to be in the same room together.” 

“Oooh, you _love_ him!” 

Finn gaped. “Oh shit.” 

“As much as I kinda think he already knows, you should probably tell him. Just to make sure.” 

Finn was frozen for a moment before the love in his heart burned through his chest and down his limbs. “I gotta tell Poe.” He ran inside, Rey following, laughing as she watched Finn pull Poe to his feet and wrap him in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! this work will be updated soon <3


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